Our First Impressions of the Buffy Season 9 and Angel & Faith Comics from Dark Horse

Ah, Dark Horse…making dreams real for all the Whedon geeks around the world daily. We are well aware that DC’s “New 52″ are still making headlines across the globe, but the release of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9, Issue 1 and Angel & Faith, Issue 1 should also be cause for celebration! Here’s what you can look forward to…

The Word from Dark Horse:Season 8 ended with a bang when Buffy cut the world off from the hell dimensions and all supernatural influence. Great, right? Except Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless and ended the long line of vampire slayers, leaving her hated by the hundreds of girls who recently stood behind her. Newly relocated to San Francisco, Buffy can count on a fresh start and focus on what she’s good at–slaying.

The Word from Dread:Season 8 was one insane ride. Some of it was over-the-top ridiculousness, but most of it was vintage Buffy…as in it was like the show had never ended. Season 9 continues that streak of awesome with Buffy now confronting a world made all the more real ever since she cut us free of our magical tether. So, what does Buffy do when she no longer has to lead an army of slayers against the forces of darkness? The same thing we all do every day…work a crap job and drink until we can’t feel feelings anymore! WOO!

This book also hints at oncoming evils, some familiar and some new and more horrible than reruns of “Smallville” (like if they showed that episode where they are stuck in the Matrix over and over…oh man…hellish.) Issue 1 is everything you could want. It’s offbeat and quirky, constantly hysterical and very true to the show, as you would expect when Joss Whedon is at the wheel. For Buffy fans it is perfection. Snap it up TODAY!Click here for preview pages courtesy of Dark Horse.

The Word from Dark Horse:Left in a near-catatonic state following the events in Buffy Season 8, Angel will need a seriously rude awakening if he’s to make amends for his ill-conceived deeds. Enter rebel slayer with a cause–Faith Lehane. Together they’ll have full access to the Watcher files and opportunities to make amends for all they’ve done…and will do.

The Word from Dread:I’m reluctant to say what Angel did that was so earth-shatteringly bad, but I will say it happens in Buffy Season 8 and may be worse than anything the vampire with a soul ever did as Angelus. I challenge you to read that and NOT run out to get the trades for Season 8! Now, Angel is more broody than ever before (maybe like 120% more broodiness in every issue), and only a newfound sense of purpose and dire need to atone for his sins will see him back in battle against evil. Luckily, the slayer named Faith knows a little something about atoning and will be sticking around to see that Angel gets all the backup he needs. One catch, though…the entire planet just might want to see Angel dead. SUSPENSE!

Issue 1 plays out like a creepy little horror movie. Ghosts of the past prod Angel into action with the Watcher Files in hand to point the way toward unfinished business. The tone is way heavier than Buffy, as it should be (and if you read Season 8, you know why), but it is still highly entertaining to watch Angel and Faith in action. The banter isn’t all doom and gloom as that just wouldn’t be a Whedon book, would it? Issue 1 is serious but light where it should be and, shockingly, way bloodier than 6 issues of Buffy combined! I’d absolutely love it if Buffy kept things light and full of action while Angel kept a black sense of humor amid beheadings and such! The perfect combo for a diehard horror fan. I wasn’t a big fan of Angel: After the Fall, but this incarnation seems just my speed.Click here for preview pages courtesy of Dark Horse.